tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:49:32 +0000Book ReviewsBooknotesBook NewsReviews - Theater - Trans MississippiReviews - Theater - WestReviews - Campaigns and BattlesReviews - Theater - EastReference Books/Research MaterialsPublishersReviews - Unit HistoriesBook SnapshotsReviews - PoliticsReviews - NavalReviews - Diaries/ Letters/ MemoirsAuthorsReviews - BiographyReading ListsReviews - Indian ConflictsMagazines and JournalsReviews - Guides and Map StudiesReviews - Theater - Far WestInterviewsClassic SnapshotsReviews - Essay CollectionCivil War Battles AppsTexas Revolution / U.S. - Mexican WarReviews - Photographic StudiesReviews - Civil War SocietyCIVIL WAR BOOKS and AUTHORS* Non-fiction American Civil War book reviews, commentary, industry news, author interviews, reading lists, and profiles of upcoming releases *http://cwba.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)Blogger1671125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-5709394836350765529Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:08:00 +00002015-03-03T08:49:32.980-08:00Various things1. The next volume (#5) in SIUP's Civil War Campaigns in the Heartland series will be The Tennessee Campaign of 1864 but we'll have to wait until December to see it. If laudanum quaffin' or trench assaultin' lesson teachin' is mentioned in any of the essays gaskets will be blown.
2. I finally got a hold of West Virginia historian Terry Lowry and asked him about his long delayed book The Battlehttp://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/03/various-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4391305174503422501Sun, 01 Mar 2015 17:39:00 +00002015-03-01T09:39:54.375-08:00BooknotesBooknotes (Mar '15)New Arrivals:
1. Young General and the Fall of Richmond: The Life and Career of Godfrey Weitzel by G. William Quatman (Ohio UP, 2015).
The title implies an eastern theater emphasis, but Quatman covers Weitzel's entire military career at length, with his biography quite advanced past the mid-point of its war coverage before Weitzel even joins the Army of the James. I'm concerned about the "keen http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/03/booknotes-mar-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-1419667933461226596Fri, 27 Feb 2015 18:27:00 +00002015-02-28T08:44:38.039-08:00Book ReviewsReviews - Campaigns and BattlesReviews - Theater - WestSmith: "SHILOH: Conquer or Perish"[Shiloh: Conquer or Perish by Timothy B. Smith (University Press of Kansas, 2014). Hardcover, 20 maps, photos, OB, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:441/602. ISBN:978-0-7006-1995-5 $34.95]
The major Shiloh studies, classic works from Edward Cunningham, James Lee McDonough, Wiley Sword, and Larry Daniel, all have particular strengths and weaknesses, but none are truly satisfying and http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/smith-shiloh-conquer-or-perish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4012327761557088964Thu, 26 Feb 2015 03:41:00 +00002015-02-25T19:41:26.778-08:00Book NewsThe Civil War and Reconstruction in Indian TerritoryNebraska will be publishing The Civil War and Reconstruction in Indian Territory edited by Bradley R. Clampitt in 2015. The publisher's book page gives it a December release so it may be some time yet before more information emerges. I am assuming it's a volume of original essays. If so, the book would be the first scholarly essay collection to appear since 1974's The Civil War Era in Indian http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-6710436383049142484Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:39:00 +00002015-02-24T13:39:47.496-08:00Your book is "too detailed"One of the basic rules of reviewing is realizing it's not all about you. You may be within the target audience but you are never the sole target of the author. You need to imagine uses of information that are beyond your own needs and wants and be capable of appreciating their value to others. The core act of reading a 400-page scholarly history study alone should commit any prospective reviewerhttp://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/your-book-is-too-detailed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-6637145279195849644Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:06:00 +00002015-02-20T11:22:19.653-08:00Book ReviewsReviews - Civil War SocietyZimring: "TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIE: Native Northerners Who Fought for the Confederacy"[To Live and Die in Dixie: Native Northerners Who Fought for the Confederacy by David Ross Zimring (University of Tennessee Press, 2014). Cloth, photos, 12 tables, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:320/479. ISBN:978-1-62190-106-8 $59.95]
According to the U.S. census of 1860 approximately 350,000 individuals of northern birth resided in states that would form the new Confederacy. How http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/zimring-to-live-and-die-in-dixie-native.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-5001792163024186455Wed, 18 Feb 2015 23:47:00 +00002015-02-18T15:47:50.217-08:00BooknotesBooknotes III (Feb '15)New Arrivals:
1. Civil War Biographies from the Western Waters: 956 Confederate and Union Naval and Military Personnel, Contractors, Politicians, Officials, Steamboat Pilots and Others by Myron J. Smith, Jr. (McFarland, 2015).
In researching his many books about Civil War naval operations along the inland waterways of the western theater, Smith has accumulated a vast amount of information on http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/booknotes-iii-feb-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-2238308171083331420Sun, 15 Feb 2015 18:09:00 +00002015-02-15T10:09:33.775-08:00Classic SnapshotsJomini's "The Art of War"Dover Publishing's The Art of War by Antoine-Henri, Baron de Jomini (1779-1869) is an unabridged 2007 reprint of the 1862 J.B. Lippincott edition translated by Capt. G.H. Mendell and Lt. W.P. Craighill. In their all too brief preface, Mendell and Craighill note that the practice of following maps while reading the text is an essential component of studying military history. Appreciating this http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/jominis-art-of-war.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-1777574332536486857Fri, 13 Feb 2015 17:33:00 +00002015-02-13T09:33:58.347-08:00Book NewsStoker on ClausewitzThis isn't exactly "news" but Donald Stoker's Clausewitz: His Life and Work (Oxford) was published late last year. I don't have a copy and thus nothing to base any commentary on but I appreciated Stoker's earlier The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War for its rare attempt at a serious discussion of Civil War strategy and thought his new work deserved at least a mention.http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/stoker-on-clausewitz.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-7246746348776413984Thu, 12 Feb 2015 01:59:00 +00002015-02-11T17:59:29.526-08:00BooknotesBooknotes II (Feb '15)New Arrivals:
1. Alias "Paine": Lewis Thornton Powell, the Mystery Man of the Lincoln Conspiracy, Second Edition by Betty J. Ownsbey (McFarland, 2015).
Ownsbey's Powell biography was first published in hardcover in 1993. The new description doesn't hint at what changes were made for the 2nd edition and the author's preface offers no clues either.
2. Shiloh: Conquer or Perish by Timothy B. http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/booknotes-ii-feb-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-1082522285707917050Mon, 09 Feb 2015 18:00:00 +00002015-02-09T10:00:47.315-08:00Book ReviewsReviews - BiographyReviews - Essay CollectionRafuse, ed.: "CORPS COMMANDERS IN BLUE: Union Major Generals in the Civil War"[Corps Commanders in Blue: Union Major Generals in the Civil War edited by Ethan S. Rafuse (Louisiana State University Press, 2014). Hardcover, maps, notes, index. 308 pp. ISBN:978-0-8071-5702-2 $45]
In Corps Commanders in Blue: Union Major Generals in the Civil War general editor Ethan Rafuse has assembled quite a collection of writers, with a good balance among armies and regions. The http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/rafuse-ed-corps-commanders-in-blue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-7209208150912272133Sat, 07 Feb 2015 02:16:00 +00002015-02-06T18:16:15.868-08:00Book NewsTo the Gates of AtlantaRobert Jenkins, the author of The Battle of Peach Tree Creek: Hood's First Sortie, July 20, 1864, and his publisher Mercer University Press will be releasing the prequel volume To the Gates of Atlanta: From Kennesaw Mountain to Peach Tree Creek, 1-19 July 1864 next month. I had no idea this was coming or that he was putting together something of a series treatment. I hope Jenkins took to heart http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/to-gates-of-atlanta.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-7999240058761151826Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:29:00 +00002015-02-05T09:29:12.309-08:00Book ReviewsReference Books/Research MaterialsReviews - Theater - Trans MississippiReviews - Theater - WestReviews - Unit HistoriesSmith: "THE 2ND MAINE CAVALRY IN THE CIVIL WAR: A History and Roster"[The 2nd Maine Cavalry in the Civil War: A History and Roster by Ned Smith (McFarland 800-253-2187, 2014). Softcover, maps, photos, illustrations, roster, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:157/238. ISBN:978-0-7864-7968-9 $39.95]
Ned Smith is the pied piper of obscure short-timer Maine Civil War units that served in the Department of the Gulf during the latter part of the http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/smith-2nd-maine-cavalry-in-civil-war.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4156310071778260909Wed, 04 Feb 2015 02:48:00 +00002015-02-03T18:48:58.781-08:00Book NewsConfederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi, Volume 2The Spring/Summer '15 catalog from University of Tennessee Press arrived recently and contained the welcome news that Volume 2 of Confederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi: Essays on America's Civil War (edited by Lawrence Lee Hewitt and Thomas E. Schott) will come out in April. From the cover art, the eight generals covered are Ben McCulloch, Henry H. Sibley, Prince de Polignac, Joseph http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/confederate-generals-in-trans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-2310257620249865300Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +00002015-02-01T12:02:41.491-08:00BooknotesBooknotes (Feb '15)New Arrivals:
Wow, a record low of only two 2015 titles arrived during the entire month of January. February looks no better. This winter is shaping up to be more barren than last summer.
1. Jefferson Davis's Flight from Richmond: The Calm Morning, Lee's Telegrams, the Evacuation, the Train, the Passengers, the Trip, the Arrival in Danville and the Historians' Frauds by John Stewart (McFarland,http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/02/booknotes-feb-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-833885728746779324Fri, 30 Jan 2015 23:49:00 +00002015-01-30T15:49:55.110-08:00Book NewsHennessy's FBR reprintIn the fall, Stackpole will be reprinting a paperback edition of John Hennessy's The First Battle of Manassas: An End to Innocence, July 18-21, 1861. Those most interested in the battle already own a copy of the H.E. Howard series volume in blue cloth so the main source of curiosity surrounding the new edition will be the question of whether it's a revised and/or expanded book or just a straight http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/hennessys-fbr-reprint.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-6382532460898459021Thu, 29 Jan 2015 17:23:00 +00002015-01-29T11:38:04.864-08:00Book ReviewsReference Books/Research MaterialsReviews - Diaries/ Letters/ MemoirsReviews - Theater - WestHarris: "THE CONFEDERATE HOSPITALS OF MADISON, GEORGIA: their records & histories 1861-1865"[The Confederate Hospitals of Madison, Georgia: their records & histories 1861-1865 by Bonnie P. Harris (Author, 2014). Cloth, maps, photos, illustrations, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. 587 pp. ISBN:978-0-9911125-4-8 $45]
Civil War students are demanding readers and legions of thick reference tomes dedicated to feeding the voracious informational appetites of specialists and http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/harris-confederate-hospitals-of-madison.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-8480029429014141582Mon, 26 Jan 2015 16:49:00 +00002015-01-26T17:11:30.807-08:00Book NewsMore on "Blood on the Bayou"I've been told that the third volume of Don Frazier's "Louisiana Quadrille" titled Blood on the Bayou: Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and the Trans-Mississippi remains on track for an early February release. In the meantime, the author kindly sent me a digital version of a late galley to peruse. Military actions remain the primary focus, with full coverage of a range of skirmishes and battles fought http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/more-on-blood-on-bayou.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-5024801939027544110Sat, 24 Jan 2015 20:35:00 +00002015-01-24T12:38:17.638-08:00AuthorsJohn HillA bit over a week ago I came across several announcements online of the sudden passing of John Hill. Hill was a titan of board wargaming during its heyday, his Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader selling in the hundreds of thousands of copies (as a point of comparison, many developers today are fortunate to ship a few thousand units) and influencing in innumerable ways the work of other http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/john-hill.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-1055406477096692640Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:41:00 +00002015-01-22T17:43:09.779-08:00Book ReviewsReviews - Campaigns and BattlesReviews - Theater - Trans MississippiSchultz: "THE MARCH TO THE RIVER: From the Battle of Pea Ridge to Helena, Spring 1862"[The March to the River: From the Battle of Pea Ridge to Helena, Spring 1862 by Robert G. Schultz (Camp Pope Publishing, 2014). Softcover, maps, photos, illustrations, notes, appendices, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:341/452. ISBN: 978-1-929919-60-4 $24.95]
Click image for order info
Union General Samuel R. Curtis's March 1862 victory at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas was an http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/schultz-march-to-river-from-battle-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-6697630740708539212Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:01:00 +00002015-01-20T15:01:11.203-08:00BooknotesBooknotes (Jan '15)New Arrivals:
1. Walking the Line: Rediscovering and Touring the Civil War Defenses on Modern Atlanta's Landscape With Photographs of All 36 Fort Sites, Plus Walking Trail Maps by Lawrence Krumenaker (Hermograph Press, 2014).
Like Richmond's, Atlanta's urban sprawl makes Civil War battlefield and site touring a challenge. Krumenaker's book is a color photograph, map, and text guide to sites http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/booknotes-jan-15.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-3669114264398268635Sun, 18 Jan 2015 21:43:00 +00002015-01-18T17:40:09.366-08:00Book ReviewsReference Books/Research MaterialsReviews - Unit HistoriesSwain: "THE BLOODY 7TH"[The Bloody 7th by Glen Allan Swain, Jr. (Broadfoot, 2014). Cloths, maps, photos, footnotes, roster, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:416/719. ISBN:978-1-56837-433-8 $45]
Though brothers in spirit with H.E. Howard's Virginia Regimental Histories Series, it's fairly safe to say that the typical volume from The South Carolina Regimental-Roster Set is better researched, far better stocked withhttp://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/swain-bloody-7th.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-999025004829784348Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:31:00 +00002015-01-15T16:34:46.547-08:00Book NewsAgriculture and society in the Civil War eraEvery once in a while you see some cross-publisher synergy over topics that don't arise all that often in the literature. For this catalog season, agriculture seems more intellectually popular than usual.
In The British Gentry, the Southern Planter, and the Northern Family Farmer: Agriculture and Sectional Antagonism in North America (LSU) author James Huston "argues that the ideological chasm http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/agriculture-and-civil-war.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4037910898721342852Tue, 13 Jan 2015 06:32:00 +00002015-01-13T08:14:26.045-08:00Book ReviewsReviews - Campaigns and BattlesReviews - Theater - EastPrice: "THE BATTLE OF FIRST DEEP BOTTOM"[The Battle of First Deep Bottom by James S. Price (The History Press, 2014). Softcover, 3 maps, photos, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:129/156. ISBN:978-1-60949-541-1 $19.99]
After a long dry period, the recent upswing in Richmond-Petersburg campaign studies is fairly remarkable both in numbers and quality. A new addition to this impressive group is James Price's http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/price-first-battle-of-deep-bottom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4982112544676559820Sun, 11 Jan 2015 19:53:00 +00002015-01-11T11:58:46.459-08:00Book NewsPotter's RaidWhen the name "Potter" comes up in the context of the Civil War, most readers probably assume the reference is to Robert Brown Potter, the NY lawyer who earned his stripes by working his way up from private to major general in the Union army's IX Corps. While never mentioned in the same breath as other prominent political generals, he seems to have had a solid career and his story worth telling http://cwba.blogspot.com/2015/01/potters-raid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA)0